Boris Johnson Did Not Put Pressure on Over Lebedev Peerage, Says Watchdog Chief

Boris Johnson Did Not Put Pressure on Over Lebedev Peerage, Says Watchdog Chief
Evgeny Lebedev (left) and Boris Johnson at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London on Nov. 23, 2009. Ian West/PA
Updated:

No pressure was exerted by the Prime Minister or Downing Street when it came to recommending Lord Lebedev for a peerage, according to a Lords watchdog.

Lord Bew, chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac), told MPs the assessment for the media mogul, whose father was a former KGB agent, was a “unique” process that involved security checks.